6 User Research Methods to Build Intuitive Digital Products

By Modern.tech | February 6, 2025

Building great digital products isn’t just about using the latest tech; it’s about solving real problems for real people. Without the right research, you risk building software that misses the mark, wastes resources, and fails to deliver real impact.

 

Great products don’t happen by chance. They are built on clear insights, smart decisions, and a deep understanding of the people who will use them. That’s where user research comes in.

 

However, user research isn’t a one-and-done process. The right approach depends on what you need to validate and where you are in the product development cycle. In many cases, a single project will require a combination of methods, and the same method may be used at multiple stages as the product evolves.

 

This article breaks down 6 proven user research methods to create software that aligns with user needs, set clearer priorities, and build software that drives growth for your business. 

1. User Interviews: 

User interviews are one-on-one conversations designed to explore users' attitudes, behaviors, and experiences. They’re a powerful way to gain deep, qualitative insights into what truly drives your audience—their motivations, pain points, and decision-making processes.

 

Imagine you’re developing a new app. User interviews help you understand how people currently solve the problem your product addresses, revealing gaps and opportunities you might not have considered. While interviews can be useful at any stage of development, they’re especially valuable early on when you need to validate assumptions and define user needs.

 

The format is flexible: interviews can be structured, following a set list of questions, or unstructured, allowing for more open-ended discussions. No matter the approach, real-time conversations—whether in person, over the phone, or via video call—give you the richest insights into how users think and what they truly need.

 

2. Surveys:

Surveys are a structured way to gather insights from a large audience, making them ideal for quantitative research. By asking participants a series of targeted questions, you can measure trends, validate assumptions, and collect broad feedback efficiently.

 

For example, if you’re considering adding a new feature to your product, surveys can help determine how many users would find it valuable and whether it aligns with their needs.

 

Surveys work best when you need statistically significant data to support decision-making. However, they are less effective for deep qualitative insights, as responses are often limited and lack context.

 

Because surveys rely on self-reported data, it’s essential to craft clear, unbiased questions. Avoid leading language or phrasing that might influence users' responses to ensure your results accurately reflect their perspective. 

 

3. Focus Groups

Focus groups bring together a small group of users to discuss a product, service, or experience in a guided setting. This method allows participants to share their thoughts, react to each other’s opinions, and reveal insights that may not emerge in one-on-one interviews or surveys.

 

For example, if you’re redesigning a website, a focus group can help you understand how users perceive your brand and what they expect from your platform.

 

Focus groups are especially useful when you want to explore user needs, expectations, and emotional responses in a collaborative environment. However, be careful when selecting participants. That is crucial to ensure a diverse but representative sample of your target audience. You should also be careful when choosing who will moderate the group. Without proper facilitation, dominant voices can influence the conversation and lead to biased or less authentic insights.

 

4. A/B Testing

A/B testing compares two versions of a design, feature, or element to determine which performs better based on real user interactions. These variations can be nearly identical except for one key difference—like a button color or headline—or they can be entirely different layouts or workflows.

 

For example, if you’re unsure which call-to-action button drives more conversions, A/B testing provides clear, measurable insights by analyzing user engagement with each version. This method is most effective in the refinement stage, when you need data-backed decisions to optimize performance.

 

However, for results to be statistically significant, a large enough sample size is essential. If the test results are inconclusive, it may be necessary to tweak variables and run additional tests. While A/B testing is great for fine-tuning specific elements, it doesn’t explain why users behave a certain way. To gain deeper insights, it should be paired with other research methods, such as user interviews or heatmaps.

5. Card Sorting

Card sorting helps uncover how users naturally categorize information, making it a valuable tool for designing intuitive navigation structures in websites and apps. By asking participants to organize items into groups, you gain insight into their thought processes and mental models.

 

For example, if you’re building an e-commerce platform, card sorting can reveal how users expect product categories to be structured, helping you create a navigation system that feels familiar and easy to use. There are two main types of card sorting:

 

Open Card Sorting – Users create their own categories to discover how they group and label information.

Closed Card Sorting – Users place items into predefined categories to validate whether an existing structure aligns with expectations.

 

Card sorting is flexible and works well with both small and large data sets. However, for the best results, it should be combined with interviews or usability testing to confirm that the final structure improves user experience.

6. Tree Testing

Tree testing is a research method used to assess how easily users can find information on a website. It helps identify potential navigation issues before they impact real users by testing the hierarchy and structure of content without any visual design elements.

 

For example, if you’ve redesigned your website’s navigation, tree testing can show whether users can successfully locate key pages or if they get lost along the way.

 

In a tree test, participants are given a specific task (Example: “Where would you go to find return policies?”) and must navigate through a text-based version of the site’s structure—without menus, search bars, or design cues.

 

Tree testing is especially useful for pinpointing weak spots in site architecture before launch. However, since users may take unexpected paths, it’s crucial to have a large enough sample size to distinguish between individual outliers and broader trends.

 

Build Software That Works For Your Users

User research isn’t just about gathering data; it’s about ensuring that every product decision is backed by real user insights. 

 

The right research methods help teams build software that’s intuitive, scalable, and aligned with business goals, reducing costly rework and maximizing user adoption. Without structured user research, companies risk missed expectations, disengaged users, and inefficient development cycles. Good user research is what separates successful products from the ones the market chews up and discards. Even with the best research methods at your disposal UX/UI decisions aren't always straightforward, but we can help. 

 

If you’re ready to create software that truly works for your users, schedule a call today to explore how Modern.tech can help you build a successful product.